Your Collective Bargaining Local: Collective bargaining is the heart and soul of college governance when faculty band together to increase their negotiating power. For instance, a single faculty member might want a certain measure or change to be implemented at the college, but alone they have limited power to get the college leadership's attention. By joining the NFA one voice echoes with other union members and can be more effectively heard. A good Idea can become a goal for the entire union. Once other faculty members are made aware of a need, they can band together to put pressure on the administration with a much greater chance that the administration will agree to the change. The NFA has elected representatives on most college committees to help bring our members' concerns forward to leadership.
Work Environment: When faculty stand united, the administration will invest more in our well being, morale improves and everyone benefits from a safer and healthier work environment. Antagonism between administration and faculty is not inevitable, but when faculty stand alone administrators may become less inclined to value their work and to protect their rights. NFA members have a representative who can intervene on their behalf when conflicts do arise between administration and faculty. This also allows administrators with integrity who care about the college the freedom to take steps to make faculty safer and more productive and effective at their jobs by providing better equipment, more professional development, and making better use of the expertise and institutional memory of the faculty.
Better Benefits: On average, a college with a strong union is more likely to enjoy better benefits compared to a college without collective bargaining. That includes workload issues, contract- and teaching days, influence on the definition of duties and responsibilities of faculty, chairs, coordinators, grievance procedures, department policy implementation, and leave policies. Again, NFA representatives negotiate on your behalf as a part of the collective bargaining agreement with the administration.
Your Representative: One other key benefit of joining NFA is legal representation. NFA is willing to provide representation to any faculty member who asks for meetings between you and an administrator. You may also contact Human Resources but it’s important to keep in mind that HR represents the college administration. Meeting with a dean and an HR representative can make a faculty member feel outnumbered and vulnerable. Having an NFA rep in the room evens out that balance of power. If a faculty member finds themself in serious legal trouble with the college, full NFA members will receive a legal assessment, referrals, and in some cases a full legal consultation to help protect your rights in the workplace.